Malcolm In The Middle mined a lot of humor out of the honest imperfections of a middle-class family, and the plight of its boxed-in title character. As such, it was often mildly depressing. Alec Robbins has captured the show’s undercurrent of suffocating ennui and distilled it in his Malcolm In The Middle game. It offers a simple control scheme (right and left arrows are the extent), but gameplay quickly feels claustrophobic and unstable—much like Malcolm’s life.

As you progress down the avenue with Reese and Dewey, all you have to do is ensure Malcolm keeps pace with his brothers. The three periodically dish out nuggets about themselves, including depressing confessions such as “We’re poor,” “I’m still pure,” and “I’m not very likable.” The comments, like the background, are drab and repetitive. If you play long enough, however, you’ll see that repetition lulls you into a false sense of security. After several minutes, daylight wanes and the screen starts turning red, with discordant notes infecting the 8-bit soundtrack. By the time Malcolm says, “I want you to stop playing this game,” things have veered into unsettling territory, and you’ll be relieved when you inevitably collide with one of your brothers and interrupt the game. Head over to Robbins’ site to play Malcolm In The Middle.